Page 66 of A Silent Reckoning

“Jozef.”

His hand automatically went to his gun, even as he recognized Shaun. Instead of pulling the gun, he removed the holster and set it carefully on the counter. He rolled his shoulders back, easing some of the tension that had built up over days of sleeping in a shitty camp bed and on the hard ground.

Shaun was standing by the windows, looking out at the city lights, something she loved to do. It made him happy that he was able to give her this view, sort of an apology for the things he’d done to take the joy from her life.

Why are you still up?he signed when she looked at him. There was enough light filtering in from the streetlamps below that she could see him.

She walked into his chest, burrowing her face against him as his arms closed around her. “I didn’t sleep much while you were gone. I was busy worrying about you and thinking about the safe room.”

She pushed away from his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me about the safe room?”

Jozef knew about the saferoom incident. Karl had sent daily updates on Shaun’s activities while Jozef was in the field. He hadn’t had time to worry over her reaction though. It was a necessary part of his existence and she would get used to it.

I would have told you eventually, Jozef explained.Honestly, I forgot. I’ve had one since I was a child. Are you angry?

She seemed to think about the question then shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I understand why you have one, even though I don’t like it. I’m glad you’re keeping your safety in mind.”

Jozef nearly laughed out loud. She was living in fantasyland if she thought he’d be hiding in a safe room during an attack. It was there for her. He didn’t tell her though. He was pleased that she was concerned for him.

“I removed those high sugar, salty snacks and replaced them with dried fruit, fruit cups and some canned vegetables,” she informed him. “I also added a can opener, some paper plates, plastic cutlery and some napkins. Saskia made an unholy mess while she was eating in there.”

Jozef barked his laughter and Shaun joined in. He loved everything about this woman, even her insistence on healthy eating. He’d fallen in love with her a year ago, but it had taken him more than a year to realize what he loved about her. While in prison, he could see the way her brain worked as he poured over her professional papers. He could see aspects of her personality in his daily reports coming in from the men he had watching her in Montréal. Everything he saw and heard made him love her a little more until he knew he was hopelessly entangled for life.

He couldn’t remove her without removing a large piece of himself, and no part of him wanted to do that. She was his muse, his strength, everything he wanted in his life. And if it took the rest of his life to get her to agree to stay, he would spend it showing her how much she meant to him.

He dropped his mouth to hers, tasting her laughter until her amusement turned to lust. He could taste the difference and knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

He lifted her against his body as he deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and sipping at the sweetness within.

She clung to him, kissing him back with equal hunger. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him tight, welcoming him home with her warm embrace.

“I kept dreaming you were dead,” she whispered against his lips. “I hated that you were out there, putting your life at risk.”

Jozef couldn’t respond, couldn’t reassure her. His arms were around her, holding her up. He didn’t know what he’d say anyway. How could he reassure her without lying? His job was risky and there would always be a certain amount of danger. He loved what he did for a living and he wasn’t ready to give it up. If she asked him to, he didn’t know what he’d do. He wanted to think that the strength of his love would make the decision easy, but he was learning, from Shaun, that love, no matter how strong, didn’t make life easier. Instead, love was messy, complicated and exhilarating.

She broke their kiss. “Please fuck me.”

Jozef didn’t need to be asked again. He turned to carry her into the bedroom, but she protested.

“No, do it here, out in the open,” she said breathlessly. “I want to watch the lights while you fuck me.”

If Jozef’s dick had been hard before, it was now stone. Her words, her sexual assertiveness, it made him want her with a new kind of desire. He wanted to touch her wildness, wake it up, revel in the barbarism that surged through them when they came together.

He set her on her feet and reached for the hem of his shirt, stripping it from his chest. She did the same, pulling her pajama top over her head and tossing it across the room. He saw her teeth flash in a grin as she hurriedly shoved the waistband of her pants over her hips and down her legs.

Jozef got his belt unbuckled and his jeans unzipped before Shaun launched herself at him. He barked with laughter as she jumped into his arms and nearly knocked him backwards onto the couch. Her impatience infected him, and he realized he wanted inside her as badly as she seemed to want him there.

Shaun rained kisses all over Jozef’s neck, face and shoulders as he tilted her back, resting her ass on the top of the couch so he could reach between them and pull his straining dick from his jeans. Her breathing hitched as he spat on his palm and reached down to stroke himself, before lining himself up against her pussy. She was wet and ready for him as he pushed himself through her tight passage.

She moaned, tipping her head back and closing her eyes, enjoying the sensation of him filling her.

He bit her neck, tasting her flesh, licking her sweetness. She tasted like strawberries, warmth and woman. He held himself still inside her, savouring the sensation of her tight squeeze on his cock. She wiggled her hips, trying to get him to move, but he refused. He loved that she was so needy, that she wanted him with such passion.

He’d thought of her often while he travelled, her image lingering no matter where he went or what he did. He thought he was holding Shaun close to his heart but being with her now showed him that the real woman was so much better. She was everything he wanted in life and then some. An unexpected gift he would never stop thanking god for.

“Jozef!” she exclaimed, hitting his chest. “Fuck me now.”

He chuckled at her impatience and lifted her in his arms, deliberately bouncing her so she was forced to take all of him. She let out a yelp, then, gripping him tightly, moaned her approval. He moved her to the kitchen table and set her ass on top, tilting her so he was at the best angle to fuck her as deeply as she appeared to want and need.

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